Abstract Composition 1980

Robert Goodnough made this Abstract Composition, but I'm not sure exactly when, using what looks like flat, graphic shapes of red, blue, and black. You know, when I make a painting, it's all about the process, the back and forth of adding and subtracting. I get the feeling that Goodnough felt the same way. Looking closely, you can see how these shard-like shapes come together. They build up from a light blue, like water, through the middle with a little red, into a heavy, dark mass. It feels like he’s showing us how things come together, but also how they break apart. Notice the way the edges of the shapes are so defined, but then the overall form seems to dissolve into the white space around it. This piece reminds me of Joan Miro, who also knew how to create a sense of playful ambiguity with a few simple forms. Like Miro, Goodnough reminds us that art isn't about fixed meanings but about open possibilities.